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The Amazon's Kettle of Fish

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THE vast web of waterways that make up the Amazon - rivers, lakes, swamps, streams, waterfalls, bayous and igapos or flooded forest land - are, as Brazilians put it, peixoso or full of fish. Fish is the principal source of protein for Indians living in the Amazon region as well as for the caboclos, descendants of a mixed population of Europeans and Indians who farm and fish in the more populated and accessible areas near Manaus, the capital city of the state of Amazonas. An astonishing variety of fish -served grilled, fried or poached in sauces -is a staple of the city's restaurants.

There are more varieties of fish in the Amazon than in the Atlantic Ocean, according to Ilse Walker, senior researcher in freshwater biology at the National Research Institute of Amazonia; estimates of 2,000 to 3,000 species are considered conservative. No one knows how many are edible, and many people come to the region looking for small, colorful varieties for their aquariums. Some scientists trace the variety to the fact that the Amazon basin began as an inland sea filled with saltwater species such as turtles, stingrays, sharks, sole, sardines and the mammalian dolphins and manatees that later adapted to fresh water.

The most famous fish in the Amazon is, of course, the piranha, first brought to public attention by Theodore Roosevelt, who visited the Amazon in 1914. ''Some varieties are shy, some aggressive.'' Dr. Walker said. ''But more people eat piranha than piranha eat people. And their eggs are more delicious than caviar.''

The once common freshwater turtle, the tartaruga, is no longer served in local restaurants. Like many other species, the tartaruga is endangered because of the region's explosive population growth (from 11 million to 19 million in two decades) and the adoption of modern fishing techniques. Even the manatee - the largest creature on land or sea in Amazonia - is less plentiful. At one time one could catch 250-pound pirarucu, the largest freshwater fish with scales in the world, and piraiba, catfish of similar size, were plentiful. Though smaller fish are still abundant, large ones are now rare, victims of poaching and new technology - the harpoon and bow and arrow have been replaced by net fishermen in motor trawlers.

The best sample of local fish is on display at the city's municipal market, housed in an iron building that was fabricated in Europe and assembled near the waterfront at the turn of the century. The market is one of the remnants of Manaus's gracious past scattered through the downtown area. In addition to several handsome private homes these include the Victorian splendor of the Government Palace, the Customs House, the Hospital of the Sociedade Beneficente Portuguesa, and the Amazon Theater or Opera House, completed in 1896 and currently undergoing major reconstruction.

The parts for these buildings, like those for the municipal market, were sent to Manaus as ballast in cargo ships that came to the Amazon during the late 19th-century rubber boom, when industrial demand for rubber, extracted from local trees, brought prosperity to the area. In 1910, however, plantations in Southeast Asia began producing the latex more efficiently. The invention of synthetic rubber some years later ended the boom.

The market, open from 5 A.M. to 6 P.M., is noisy and congenial, crammed with medicinal herbs, caged birds and animals, regional produce, local arts and crafts, and, of course, fish. Boats unload vegetables and fruit at adjacent docks early in the morning, while fishing boats bring in their catches at 1 or 2 A.M.

On a recent visit, Alejandro Aguila, a Chilean who has lived in Manaus and worked as a guide for more than 15 years, identified the fish in the market stalls. At least a dozen varieties were available that morning, including strings of piranha in a rainbow of colors. He also pointed out the pacu, which resembles sole. Smooth-skinned catfish - including both striped and spotted surubim (we had eaten the latter grilled with small boiled potatoes) - lay in neat rows on the wooden stalls. Mr. Aguila identified a large fish with an eye-like spot near its tail as a tucunare. There were the smaller curimata, pirapatinga, aruana and aracu. Tambaqui, a large fish with a round tail, gets its flavor from eating the fruit that falls into the water from the trees that overhang the river. Large slabs of pure white fish - some cut into steaks, some rolled up like bolts of cloth, were pirarucu. It is called the codfish of Brazil because quantities are preserved by drying and salting, and prepared according to traditional recipes for bacalhau.

Much Amazon fish, eaten the day it is caught, is served grilled or fried, so diners can appreciate its delicate flavor. In Manaus restaurants, fish is always accompanied by pepper sauce and farinha. Farinha is manioc flour, a Brazilian staple made from the root of the bitter manioc and enjoyed more for texture than taste. Salad, boiled potatoes or rice and beans are usual accompaniments. Beer - Antarctica or Cerpa Export - is the drink of choice.

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Brazilian specialties include caldeirada (fish stewed in onion, garlic, tomato, green pepper, parsley and coriander), peixe moqueado (fish grilled with its scales and served beneath a layer of chopped tomatoes and onion). But Manaus is most celebrated for its tambaqui no tucupi (fish served in a sauce made of fermented manioc and local condiments), and a snack, tacaca, made by adding dried shrimp and goma (the sticky sap of the manioc root) to tucupi sauce.

Jaraqui - a small, bony fish fried sufficiently to insure that all its bones disintegrate - was the specialty of the day at the Galo Carijo, a neighborhood restaurant in downtown Manaus. Light and crunchy, pale peach to white in color, the jaraqui was served with a sweet pepper sauce and the ubiquitous manioc flour. Tucunare, fried in a coating of flour, had the texture of chicken but was sweeter and more delicate in flavor.

We sampled several fish dishes at La Barca, a pleasant restaurant in a Manaus suburb. Open on three sides to catch the breezes, La Barca was bright and lively -filled with music and young couples on a sultry Saturday night.

A cutlet of grilled tambaqui, attached to a sturdy rib, tasted surprisingly like rare roast beef, but was less chewy. A dish of hard-boiled eggs and farofa (toasted manioc flour) is a perfect complement to the fish. In tambaqui no tucupi the sweet fish is bathed in a contrasting tart and sour broth flavored with garlic and onions and flecked with dark green leaves. The leaves - called jambu -are regarded by the natives as an aphrodisiac, and are said to make the tongue slightly numb. We did not experience any numbness but savored the vegetable's slight bitterness. One drop of a spicy pepper sauce called murupi gave the tucupi a complexity not unlike that of bouillabaisse, though its taste was more pungent.

We also tried a fruit dish called creme do cupuacu. Mixed with milk, the dessert looked like a creamy white custard but fell across the tongue in a flash of flavors: sweet, sour, tart and tangy. As a souvenir, we purchased a candy made of cupuacu - to carry a bit of the Amazon, in its stunning variety, back to the temperate zone. TIPS FOR VISITORS TO MANAUS Dining

At La Barca (Rua Recife 684, Parque 10; telephone 236-8544) specialties include moqueca de peixe, costela de tambaqui grelhado, tambaqui no tucupi, bacalhau a la barca. Main dishes cost an average of $3 each (at 287 cruzados to the dollar).

Galo Carijo (Rua dos Andrades 536, Centro; 233-0044), a modest neighborhood restaurant in downtown Manaus, offers a limited selection of grilled or fried fish and is usually crowded between 5:30 and 7:30 P.M. Prices range from less than $1 for fried jaraqui to less than $2 for tambaqui or pirarucu. Side dishes such as rice and beans cost about 25 cents and a beer about 35 cents. Health Precautions

According to the Centers for Disease Control, travelers to rural areas of Brazil should be aware of dengue fever (take an insect repellent containing DEET) and consult a physician about measures to take against meningitis (there is no vaccine), malaria (Chloroquine can be taken) and yellow fever (a vaccination exists). - G. L.

GLORIA LEVITAS is an assistant professor of anthropology at Queens College.

A version of this article appears in print on September 11, 1988, on Page 5005009 of the National edition with the headline: The Amazon's Kettle of Fish. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe